Unexpected Surprises: Monkey or Panther?

I grew up watching the Carol Duvall Show, which aired on HGTV and DIY network, but was unfortunately canceled in 2003. Carol Duvall, in case you have never seen the show, always showcased different crafts in all kinds of mediums. On every show it seemed like Ms. Duvall had a sock monkey dressed according to the day’s theme, whether it be Fourth of July or Christmas. Old episodes of the Carol Duvall Show can still be seen online at HGTV.COM, DIYNETWORK.COM, and YOUTUBE.COM.

I loved the sock monkey and always wanted to create my own, but unfortunately still haven’t gotten around to it. Anyways, I loved the monkey design and decided to model my niece’s present off of her monkey. My niece is turning one next week and so this will be her birthday present. Thankfully she is still too young to read a blog and so her present will still be a surprise.

I had a little bit of difficulty with the actual knitting of the monkey because the needles I used were size US 3. Besides the size of the needles, which can be changed, the project worked up really quite easy. I chose to spread the project out over two days, but there is no reason why you wouldn’t be able to finish it in a day.

A typical stuffed monkey is usually two colors: cream and brown, but I decided to have a little fun with this monkey and instead used peach and white. All of the monkey’s body parts are worked separately thus making it a great project to start, stop, and start again. These types of projects are especially popular with busy knitters and those of us with short attention spans.

I was definitely eager to see the finished project, but was honestly surprised at the turn out. As I looked into the monkey’s eyes, I sighed deeply, realizing that the monkey looked more like Pink Panther, that adorable sneaky cat, in the old time cartoons. Old episodes of Pink Panther can still be seen on YOUTUBE.COM and HULU.COM. So you decide: is it a monkey or a panther?

That is the great part of knitting children’s toys. You have complete creative control. By changing the colors of a monkey to pink and white, I ended up creating something entirely new. Not to mention that children are going to invent their own stories so feel free to foster their creativity. I even added a dress to the monkey because it was going to a little girl. So there is no limit to the creative possibilities.